TURKMENISTAN: BERDIMUHAMEDOV EXPRESSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 001186

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL ECON EPET ETRD TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: BERDIMUHAMEDOV EXPRESSES
APPRECIATION FOR THE UNITED STATES-TURKMENISTAN
RELATIONSHIP IN SEPTEMBER 3 MEETING WITH DAS KROL

REF: A. ASHGABAT 1157

B. ASHGABAT 0807

C. ASHGABAT 0826

D. ASHGABAT 1155

Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: During a friendly meeting lasting almost two
hours September 3 with Deputy Assistant Secretary George
Krol, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov:

-- stressed the importance of the bilateral relationship,
including commercial ties and cooperation.

-- encouraged U.S. companies to come to Turkmenistan and work
without using middlemen.

-- detailed the challenge of providing Turkmen young people
with a quality education that will prepare them for future
employment as well as encouraging foreign investment so that
there will be sufficient employment opportunities.

-- reiterated Turkmenistan's position that it has
economic/commercial, but not political ties with Iran.

-- raised Turkmenistan's desire for a UN resolution to
promote pipeline security. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Deputy Assistant Secretary George Krol met September 3
with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to discuss bilateral
relations and regional issues. The meeting lasted nearly two
hours. Berdimuhamedov noted the good relations between the
United States and Turkmenistan and excellent cooperation in
the areas of education, health, and security, among others.
He thanked the Peace Corps for the tremendous work it has
done in Turkmenistan. Berdimuhamedov detailed U.S.-sponsored
travel by Turkmen officials, including military officials.
He recalled fondly his visit to New York for the UNGA in 2007
and his meetings with President Bush. He enjoyed meeting and
working with various U.S. officials, including the Secretary,
Assistant Secretary Boucher, and Senator Lugar.
Berdimuhamedov said it is clear there is mutual understanding
between our two countries. There is much to learn from the
United States.

APPRECIATION OF U.S. BUSINESSES AND PRODUCTS


3. (C) Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan offers many
international tenders, especially in construction, oil and
gas industry, and textile industry. Turkmen factories
produce clothing for U.S. brands. In agriculture,
Turkmenistan purchases Case New Holland and John Deere
tractors and combines. Boeing, Caterpillar, and General
Electric are also successful here. He said U.S. companies
should just come to Turkmenistan and work and not use
middlemen.

TURKMENISTAN HAS POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES


4. (C) Berdimuhamedov said after 17 years of independence, it
is clear that Turkmenistan still has a lot to do. The
country has a great deal of economic potential, especially in
oil and gas, transportation, textile, and construction
spheres. Nevertheless, the country has a lot of youth and
they want to live according to U.S. and European standards.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide them with a good
education, including access to language study, and to
encourage foreign investment in order to provide employment
opportunities. English is the universal language.
Exchanges, such as the U.S. Flex program help Turkmen young

ASHGABAT 00001186 002 OF 003


people develop their potential and provide them with skills
to promote economic development in the country.


5. (C) Even with opening up to the world, Berdimuhamedov
said, Turkmen cannot forget their culture and traditions.
This is necessary to raise a child to be a good person and
for people to create families.

AFGHANISTAN


6. (C) Berdimuhamedov emphasized that Turkmenistan is a
neutral country. Turkmenistan is in a dangerous
neighborhood, bordering Afghanistan and Iran. Recognizing
the need, Turkmenistan has taken steps to help Afghanistan by
providing places for Afghan students in Turkmen pedagogical
institutes and cooperating to provide them with energy.
Berdimuhamedov pointed to the electrification project with
Afghanistan and that the electricity will be provided to the
Afghans practically for free. Now, Turkmenistan is
constructing schools, and special health centers for mothers
and children. The Afghan people need education and need to be
able to feed themselves.


7. (C) Berdimuhamedov pointed to narcotics as one of the
problems with which Afghanistan is grappling and said
narcobusiness is huge. In his opinion, Afghans need to
change their mentality. During his official visit to
Afghanistan, he saw a field with green, growing plants.
President Karzai told him that the plants were opium.
Berdimuhamedov acknowledged that Turkmenistan is used as a
transit country for these drugs, which also transit
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The transit of drugs is growing.
Everyday smugglers are caught on the border with drugs.
Turkmenistan has given $5 million dollars to the State Agency
for Counternarcotics to improve the technical basis for
fighting drugs, including the purchase of vehicles that can
be used in rough and mountainous terrain and UAVs.
Turkmenistan actively cooperates with the UN Office of Drug
Control (UNODC).

TAPI AND PIPELINE SECURITY


8. (C) Turkmenistan hopes to earn $1 billion dollars annually
once TAPI is constructed and operational. Nevertheless,
security is a concern. Turkmenistan would be happy if
Afghanistan and Pakistan were stable, but that is not the
case. This is why Turkmenistan has approached the UN Center
for Preventative Diplomacy regarding a UN resolution on
pipeline security. Berdimuhamedov pointed to the conflict in
Georgia and the disruption of pipelines there as further
evidence of why such a UN resolution is needed. He said he
felt sorry for the Azeris, who lost a great deal due to the
disruption of the BTC pipeline. Security is basic, and this
issue is important for both producers, such as in Central
Asia, and consumers, like the European countries.

IRAN


9. (C) Like with Afghanistan, Turkmenistan has historic and
cultural ties with Iran. Berdimuhamedov stressed that two
countries have economic/commercial ties and not political
ties. He spoke about the importance of land routes,
including through Iran. There are good roads through Iran
and shipping through Iran is cheaper than air transport.
Turkmenistan sold gas to Iran for many years, but stopped
providing gas, when the Iranians stopped paying. Then
experts met, discussed the issue, the Iranians paid, and
Turkmenistan resumed the gas. It was purely an economic
question.


ASHGABAT 00001186 003 OF 003


OIL AND GAS


10. (C) Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan supports a
diversification of pipelines, but the issue of delimitation
of the Caspian needs to be resolved (Ref A). He reiterated
the Turkmen position of selling gas at the border. The
Russians built the pipelines, which is why they go north.
Nevertheless, Turkmenistan has a formula to charge for the
gas. If Turkmenistan does not get the price it wants, it is
willing to turn the gas off. The Gaffney-Kline audit, which
will be released shortly, will answer the question of how
much gas is available in South Yoloten.

HUMAN RIGHTS


11. (C) Berdimuhamedov noted that the Institute of Democracy
and Human Rights, which is led by Shirin Akhmedova, a
professional lawyer, is helping to change the mentality in
the country regarding human rights issues. He said the
country has done a lot regarding human rights. For example,
the constitution is being revised, credit is available at one
percent interest, laws are being revised, new housing is
being built, and there were four prisoner amnesties over the
past year.


12. (C) Clearly irritated, Berdimuhamedov mentioned the
letter he had received from the President of Columbia
University regarding Sazak Durdymuradov, a teacher and RFE/RL
reporter, who was detained in a psychiatric facility for two
weeks in June (Ref B). The letter demanded that
Durdymuradov be released. Berdimuhamedov said that the man
was never in prison, but was in a psychiatric facility
following a dispute with his brother. Berdimuhamedov said
that everyone has a family, and what family does not have
issues. It was nothing odd. However, it was clear that the
President of Columbia University did not know what he was
talking about since the man had been released the month
before the letter arrived (Ref. C). It was not correct to
write to the head of state.


13. (C) COMMENT: The nearly two-hour-long meeting was warm
and friendly. Berdimuhamedov was particularly delighted when
DAS Krol began their conversation with a short address in
Turkmen (Krol also delivered his post-meeting press remarks
in Turkmen, much to the astonishment and pleasure of the
presidential staff). Throughout the discussion,
Berdimuhamedov emphasized his desire to maintain a strong
partnership relationship with the United States as well as
his country's gratitude for cooperation to date.
Nevertheless, he stressed that Turkmenistan is a neutral
country that maintains mutually beneficial relations with its
neighbors and does not want to be drawn into conflicts
between other countries (Ref D).


14. (U) DAS Krol has cleared this cable.
CURRAN